Book: They're Off and Running - From Jockey to Starter by Cathleen Mills-Whitlatch

categories: Book, Race Horse, Boy Jockey, Race Track, Early 1920's, Santa Anita, Race Track Stories, Life Stories, Wow, Horse Training, Starting Gate, Horse Racing

Cathleen Mills-Whitlatch

about this book: This book is about my father, Bill Mills, whose family was very very poor so at the age of 14, in the early 1920's, he left his family to go out in the world to try to earn some money. As he was very small, due to malnutrition, and he was was good with horses he became a jockey. These are real-life stories he told me about his life with following the horse racing circuit in the United States, Cuba and Mexico City (where he met my mother).

When he was finally making some money, sometimes winning a race, he could eat better, and became too big to ride horses. He stayed with the race track and many years later became the starter at different race tracks and eventually became the starter at Santa Anita race track in Arcadia, California.

Older people have such great stories to tell! I always feel uplifted after going down memory lane!